New Education Standards in Valdosta

Posted: Fri 7:44 PM, Jul 09, 2004&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Fri 7:44 PM, Jul 09, 2004

New educational standards are now in place for the Peach State and it could force kids to spend more time hitting the books because students will face major increases in their yearly reading requirements.

Reaction to the new standards have been good as folks around Georgia see them as a way to improve student performance. Starting this fall, middle and high school students around the Peach State will be required to read at least one million words each school year.

Sharon Flythe, Education Curriculum Expert, says, “The intent is to produce a group of students in Georgia that are lifelong readers and lifelong learners, and we know that better readers are better students."

The new million word requirement pans out to be about 25 different books, and that has some students concerned about an extra work load, but educators say there is no need to worry because all this reading is already included in their current schedule.

Flythe adds, "At first glance one might think this would be the responsibility of the English-Language Arts teachers, but in fact it will be the responsibility of the four major academic areas: English, Math, Science and Social Studies. These books include text books, reading over the summer and technical manuals."

But education experts say the added emphasis on reading should make a major impact, especially in the number of students who set their sites on a college education.

"I would hope they would think we're raising standards, raising the bar so that we produce a strong student."

While the new reading standards sound simple, there are more complex requirements involved, that's why some teachers will go back to school themselves to learn how to best implement these new concepts.

The educators should benefit parents because there will be clearly defined goals that their children will need to meet, so parents can have a better idea of what's expected in order to get a good grade.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.